They continue to count the days, and not one is taken for granted. Temple-Inland recently celebrated its ninth year of no lost time due to accidents on the job.
"We hold our breath every day and work hard every day," said Larry Thompson, Thomson plant manager. "With the size of our plant, the size of the equipment and the amount of material we process, it's amazing that we've gone this long."
A celebratory mid-day banquet was held at the Box Factory and attended by almost all of the 115 employees. In attendance were special guests from the plant offices in Diboll, Texas, which included John McClain, the vice-president of panel products, Jimmy Hufstetler and Scott Stubblefield, the corporate safety mangers, Ruth Oates, the lumber environmental health and safety manager, Robert Dickens, the continuous process improvement director and Steven Monday, the particleboard safety manager.
Local special guests included McDuffie County Commission Chairman Charlie Newton, McDuffie County Fire Chief Bruce Tanner and Assistant Chief Stephen Sewell, McDuffie County EMS Director Tim Edwards and Assistant Kay Lord.
Mr. Newton congratulated the group on their work ethics and what their accomplishment means to the community.
"Sometimes I feel like a broken record saying the same thing here every year," he said. "But it comes from my heart. ... We've got this huge group at Temple who come to work on time and they're ready to do a good job. ... You make our community shine."
Temple-Inland has 17 plants in eight states that manufacture building projects such as fiberboard, siding, gypsum, particleboard and lumber. The Thomson plant opened in 1974 for the production of particle board.
Employee's spouses and retirees also attended Tuesday's banquet. Mr. Thompson reminded the group that in the past, he said he couldn't retire until they reached 10 years with no job-related injuries. With the likelihood of the accomplishment increasing every day, Mr. Thompson is starting to have second thoughts.
"Well, I'm not going to promise that I will at 10," he quipped from the podium. "So, don't y'all get too happy out there."
After the speeches, door prizes, such as a drill sharpening machine, booster cables, spotlights, wrench set, weather alert radio, under cabinet mounted radio, craftsman tool box, drill press and a toolbox on rollers were given away.
"I think it's a nice thing that safety is real important," said Andrew Collin, a milling and drying operator who has worked at Temple-Inland for 25 years. "It ain't easy, that's for sure."
His coworker, Calvin Ivery, echoed his sentiments. Mr. Ivery is a press operator who has worked at the plant for 27 years.
"To have so many people working with forklifts and other equipment at the same time, it's hard," he said. "All it takes is one slip, one person not paying attention. It's so important to focus on safety."
